Switch-lever.



C. FORTH.

SWITCH LEVER.

APPLICATION -F|LED JULY 23,1912.

1369,0701 Patented June 11, 1918..

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CHARLES FORTH, OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO FLEXIBLE METAL HOSE COMPANY LIMITED, OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SWITCH-LEVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1918.

Application filed J 111 23, 1917. Serial No. 182,278.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES FORTH, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Ottawa, in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Levers, of which the fol lowing is the specification.

This invention relates to improvements in switch levers, particularly adapted for use in railway side tracks, and the objects of the invention are to facilitate automatically locking the levers, when the switch is closed and not in use, so that there is no liability of an engine working in the side track becoming derailed owing to the switch being left in an improper condition.

Further objects are to permit of the lever being quickly unlocked and opened by one single operation, and generally to adapt the several parts of the lever to better perform the functions required of them.

\Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists essentially of the improved construction, particularly described and set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings forming part of the same.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the improved switch lever.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, showing the pocket containing the spring in section.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the locking member.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings A represents the improved switch lever comprising the portion 10 and handle 11, the former of which is provided with a bifurcated end 12 designed to be pivotally connected to a switch stand. The portion 10 is provided intermediate of its length with a slot 13, through which the tongue 14. of a switch stand is designed to pass and adjacent to this slot a boss 15 is provided, formed integral with the said portion on the under side thereof. A pocket 16 is provided along one of the lateral walls of the portion 10 designed to house the spring 17.

Through the boss 15, an orifice 18 extends with which the hinge pin 19 engages, the said pin being provided with an en larged upper end thereby forming a shoulder 20, which intimately engages with the upper face of the boss 15.

The adjacent end faces of the portion 10 and the handle 11 of the lever are enlarged and are provided with connected shoulders 21 and 22, the latter of which are angulariy disposed to the former for an object which will be made clear hereafter. I

The handle 11 of the lever is rotatably mounted on the hinge pin 19, and a projection 23 is formed integral with the shoulder 22, and is adapted to engage with and be embraced by the outer end of the spring 17, so that there is no possibility of the said spring becoming displaced.

A locking member 2 1 is pivotally mounted on the hinge pin 19, and is provided at one end with a tail 25, connected by the rivet 26 to the handle 11 while a tongue 27 is 10- cated almost opposite the tail and provided with an offset end 28, the under; edge 29 of which is rounded or wiped off, so that it will facilitate engaging with the tongue l-i of the switch stand.

WVhen the lever is mounted on the switch stand and the switch is about to be thrown, the operator grips a handle 11 and rotates the same to a limited extent about the hinge pin 19, until the shoulders 22 engage, and in this position the locking members 2% will have been rotated to a limited extent on the hinge pin 19, so that the ofiset end 28 of the tongue 27 will become. disengaged with the tongue 14 of the switch stand, permitting the lever being rotated upwardly to clear the tongue and so permit of the switch being thrown.

When looking the lever after having actuated the switch, it is only necessary for the operator to move the lever downwardly around its pivoted end, whereupon the tongue 14: will pass through the slot 13 and owing to the fact that the offset end 28 of the tongue 27, is wiped away on the under edge, thetongue 14% will rotate the locking member laterally to a slight extent, until the lever A reaches its closed, position in which the offset end 28 will engage with the orifice 30 in the tongue 14:.

During this operation, it will be clear that the handle 11 has been rotated about the hinge pin 19, but as soon as the offset end 28 engages the orifice in the tongue 14, the handle 11 will, under the action of the spring 17 be rotated until it is in its normal position in alinement with the portion 10 of the switch lever.

From this description it will be seen that I have invented a switch lever, which can be advantageously used on railway side tracks, whereby the lever is automatically locked when closed, so that there is no liability of the switch being left open or accidentally thrown by moving stock.

As a result of this, accidents to employees on trains working on the side tracks, are eliminated and no damage can be done to the side track, which would result in the blocking of the. same, such as is liable to take place with the switches at present in use, which are extremely liable to be accidentally thrown by freight cars when passing over the same.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention, within the scope of the claims, constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all mat ter contained in the accompanying specifi cation and drawings shall be interpreted as illustratlve and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A switch lever comprising a member designed to be pivotally attached to a switch stand, a handle pivotally attached to the member, and designed to be moved to a limited extent laterally, a locking member carried by the handle and resilient means for holding the handle normally in a1inement with the said member.

2. A switch lever comprising a member designed to be pivotally attached to a switch stand, and provided with a pair of shoulders angularly disposed to each other, a handle pivotally attached to the said member provided with. the pair of angular-1y disposed shoulders designed to co-act with the said shoulders, and a locking member carried by the handle.

3. A switch lever comprising a member designed to be pivotally attached to a switch stand, a pocket formed integral with the member, a handle pivotally attached to the member, a spring located in the pocket adapted to engage with the handle, and a locking member carried by the handle.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES FORTH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the fiomlnissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

